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Compact Fluoros (CFLs) may damage skin.

A new study, published in Scientific American (link) suggests that certain types of the energy-saving lightbulbs can become damaged and then may hurt skin cells.

The curlicue compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) oft touted as an
Earth-friendly alternative to standard incandescent bulbs may cause skin
damage, according to a new study by researchers at Stony Brook
University.

The bulbs are already known to pose hazards from using mercury, a toxic
element, though in very small quantities, as lighting manufacturers are
quick to point out.

Here is the sting in the tail of the study:

Now researchers have found that ultraviolet radiation seeping through
CFLs may damage skin cells. Miriam Rafailovich, a professor of materials
science and engineering at Stony Brook, led the research after reading
an article in an Israeli newspaper that reported a spike in skin cancer on a communal farm when residents switched to fluorescent bulbs.

"In the past two years some disturbing reports have surfaced mostly in
the European Union literature, which indicate that exposure to CFL bulbs
might be responsible for exacerbating certain skin conditions, such as
photodermatoses and skin cancer in humans," says the paper, published
last month in the journal Photochemistry and Photobiology.

Using CFL bulbs from different manufacturers purchased from retailers
on Long Island, the team exposed cultured skin cells in a petri dish to
the bulbs mounted in a desk lamp from different distances for varying
periods. The team measured how much UV light was emitted and then
assessed how the cells responded.

"All of them had some [UV emissions], but some were a lot worse than others," Rafailovich said of the bulbs.

Compact
fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs can provide the same amount of lumens as
incandescent light bulbs, using one quarter of the energy. Recently, CFL
exposure was found to exacerbate existing skin conditions; however, the
effects of CFL exposure on healthy skin tissue have not been thoroughly
investigated. In this study, we studied the effects of exposure to CFL
illumination on healthy human skin tissue cells (fibroblasts and
keratinocytes). Cells exposed to CFLs exhibited a decrease in the
proliferation rate, a significant increase in the production of reactive
oxygen species, and a decrease in their ability to contract collagen.
Measurements of UV emissions from these bulbs found significant levels
of UVC and UVA (mercury [Hg] emission lines), which appeared to
originate from cracks in the phosphor coatings, present in all bulbs
studied. The response of the cells to the CFLs was consistent with
damage from UV radiation, which was further enhanced when low dosages of
TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs), normally used for UV absorption, were added prior to exposure. No effect on cells, with or without TiO2 NPs, was observed when they were exposed to incandescent light of the same intensity.

Comments

There you go! Evil man-made CO2 is toxic therefore little bit of mercury around the house is not such a relative bad thing.

"Once broken, a compact fluorescent light bulb continuously releases mercury vapor into the air for weeks to months, and the total amount can exceed safe human exposure levels in a poorly ventilated room"

Sir Henry Fraser has an impressive CV.
Barbados' newest knight, retired university professor, Dr. Henry Fraser, received the Accolade of Knight of St. Andrew, in the 2014 Independence Day Hours. Sir Henry Fraser was named as a result of The Knighthood of St. Andrew being bestowed on him for his outstanding contribution to the medical profession and representation of Barbadian culture, especially in the area of its architectural history.Sir Henry, a medical practitioner by profession, has worked for many years as a lecturer in medicine at the University of the West Indies and now serves as an Independent Senator in the Barbados Parliament where he has gained an outstanding reputation for his work on the historic treasures of Barbados.

He has received a plethora of other awards, including the UWI’s Pelican Award, Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International and the Gold Crown of Merit (GCM) in the Barbados Honours of 1992.